All bets off on surplus target: Abbott

Tony Abbott poses for photos during the public forum at the Geelong RSL

AAP: Julian Smith

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says all bets are now off about when a Coalition government would be able to deliver a surplus.

Mr Abbott made the comments last night during a town hall-style meeting in the nation's most marginal seat, Corangamite, south-west of Melbourne.

Mr Abbott was quick to criticise the Government when it abandoned its commitment to a surplus, but speaking at the Geelong RSL last night he gave himself a lot of wriggle room.

"We were confident that we could deliver a surplus based on what the Government was telling us until just before Christmas," he told the audience of randomly selected voters.

"But all bets are off given that the Government won't tell us what the deficit will be."

The Coalition has repeatedly said scrapping the carbon tax would be its first order of business if it wins office.

Last night Mr Abbott said he was confident it could be gone by the middle of next year.

"By the middle of 2014 it will be gone," he said.

Yesterday Mr Abbott said the Coalition was preparing to release its industrial relations policy.

Questioned on the issue in Geelong, he said any changes would be "careful, cautious, responsible" and said an announcement would be made in the "relatively near future."

Labor held onto Corangamite by just 0.4 per cent at the last election but the area's manufacturing centre has been hit with job losses since then.

Mr Abbott told the crowd he was keen to see the Australian car industry succeed but said: "It will only flourish if the Government continues to provide intelligent support [and] we can finally get exports going.

Corangamite's sitting Labor MP Darren Cheeseman said he believed Labor faced a "very substantial fight to win the federal seats in Geelong" but added that: "I think we have a very strong case as to why Labor should be re-elected."

Questioned after the event, 50 people said Mr Abbott had won their vote, 17 said he had not, and 41 were undecided.